Power requirements for stackable network devices, such as switches and routers etc, may vary depending upon the amount of switching and other processing carried out by the network device. Furthermore, in some cases, the network device may additionally need to supply power through PoE (Power over Ethernet) ports.
Traditionally each network device in a stack would have its own integral power supply to supply power for that network device alone. However, more recently technology has been developed to allow power to be shared with other network devices in a stack. Typically each network device has its own power supply, the network devices in the stack are connected together, and one of the network devices is designated as a master device which coordinates sharing of power between the network devices. In this way power can be temporarily re-directed to a network device which is in need of more power for whatever reason. However, the wiring arrangements facilitating power sharing can be fiddly and awkward to modify.